Faulkner's injury against England could open door for Watson

England batsman Joe Root is trapped LBW by Australian bowler James Faulkner during the tri-series one-day cricket final between England and Australia at the WACA in Perth on February 1, 2015. AFP PHOTO - TONY ASHBY

THE injury suffered by Australian all-rounder James Faulkner against England is expected to open the door for Shane Watson to play a key role in the coming World Cup.

A hamstring injury forced Watson to miss Australia's last three ODI matches, but he is expected to be available for warm-up games against India (at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday), and against the UAE (at the MCG next Wednesday).

Cricket Australia had not provided an update on Faulkner's condition yesterday, but side strains generally force bowlers to miss up to a month of cricket.

The issue for Faulkner is that ICC regulations do not allow players to come back into World Cup squads if they are replaced and subsequently recover.

The Tasmanian has emerged as a key element of Australia's one-day team, with his clever bowling and aggressive batting down the order lifting him to No.6 on the ICC all-rounder rankings, the leading Australian in that category. While Watson had trained strongly in the nets prior to the triangular series final against England, selectors decided to err on the side of caution to ensure he was available for the World Cup.

Often criticised for his inability to make big scores in Tests, the Queenslander has plenty of supporters among the Australian players, including George Bailey who captained the side at the WACA.

"If I was picking it, I would definitely have him in it," Bailey said.

"He's a match-winner with both bat and ball.

"He's played in World Cups before, and we actually don't have that many blokes who have played in World Cups."

If selectors do decide to stick with Faulkner in the hope he is available for the business end of the tournament, Watson and Mitch Marsh would need to step up with their bowling.

The fourth all-rounder in the 15-man squad, Victorian Glenn Maxwell, cemented his place with a man-of-the-match performance against England in the ODI final, making 95 and taking 4-46.

Meanwhile, a Cricket Australia spokesman confirmed Australian captain Michael Clarke had come through his Sydney grade match on the weekend with no recurrence of his hamstring problem, and would line up for a Cricket Australia XI against Bangladesh at Allan Border Field on Thursday.

Bangladesh, which plays Australia in a World Cup Pool A game at the Gabba on February 21, will also have a hitout against the CA XI today. The CA team includes Queensland players Chris Lynn, James Pierson and Nic Stevens, as well as Victorian leg spinner James Muirhead and WA's Ashton Turner.